New Projects – Friday In The Studio

Hello there and welcome to the first Friday in the studio of 2018.

Outside its stormy, wet and fairly miserable so I’m happy to be here in the basement with paints and glue.

This has to be my motto for the year  “you can do it”.  I just need reminding from time to time so here it is on the first monthly spread in my planner.

I think this year I really want to take up more mixed media and journaling again. I didn’t do so much last year instead focussing most of my attentions to making books and planners. I need to add more mixed media into my planners to bring the two worlds together and my sketchbook has been neglected a bit since the beginning of the year when I was adding to it almost daily. I’m really happy that Paper Pen and Plan are running a challenge this month to doodle every day so I’m taking this as an excuse to go a bit further and challenge myself to a small sketch each day. If you want to join in they’re running the challenge via their facebook group. You can find them here https://www.facebook.com/groups/paperpenandplan/ to join the group and join in the challenge.

It’s funny though but since participating in the open atelier just before Christmas and hearing what other people had to say about my work made me think about what it was I was doing and where I was going. I think I’d stopped believing in myself and had given up trying to produce anything in my art journal. For the atelier I’d made lots of mini books for scrapbookers and right at the very end – literally a couple of days before, I decided to make a few blank sketchbook/journal type albums with mixed media covers just to see how they went. Blow me if they weren’t the first books to sell and the response I got was amazing. So just from those few little books I’m now all fired up again to get out the paints and mediums.

Tomorrow is my first blog post for WOW and here’s a little sneaky peek at what’s coming up. I loved playing with texture and adding layers to this project. I’ll show you the full project tomorrow.

Happy Friday everyone, have a good one.

Jaine xx

New Year New Beginnings 2018

I think I’ve been preparing for 2018 for ages and working so far ahead as we do in the publishing world, by the time Christmas comes around I’m so over it before it’s even started. I love the decorating and getting together with the family but I’m glad when it’s over to be truthful and I’m ready to start the new year all shiny and fresh.

This new year 2018 there’ll be alot to get excited about. I continue to have work published in Craft Stamper magazine which I’m very very happy about and I also continue to work with Canvas Corp brands who I love for their diversity of products from paints and canvas to fabrics and papers.  I’m also working with Paper Pen and Plan who are helping to feed my planner addiction and keep me focussed month by month with their monthly Sweet Treat Boxes.

This year however I’ve added a new team to be working with, WOW Embossing powders.  I’m thrilled to have been asked to join this amazing team of designers and I have to say I’m a little bit nervous about whether I’ll be able to keep up with the talent they have between them.

I’ve owned WOW powders for many years now and love them. They really are the best on the market. You’ll absolutely love the colours and finishes to all their powders and I hope in the coming months I’ll be able to do them justice.

I’ll be back on Friday with my In The Studio feature and show you what I’m working on right now.

All the best for 2018 to all of you and I hope it’s a creative one.

Jaine xx

Christmas Journal And Mini Albums

I’m still keeping up with my December daily journal although I might not exactly be to the day. It’s that busy time of the year don’t you know (smiley face).

I did wonder how using a junk journal with some very thin pages would work out but so far it’s not been too much of a problem if at all.

If anything shows through from the other side I’ve just covered it up with a picture or paper.

I’ve been working flat out to make mini books and albums for an artists Christmas event coming up in a weeks time. I’ll be showing and selling various different types of mini album including these accordion books. They’re just the right size for a few photos and messages for a last minute gift idea. I’m hoping they’ll go down well on the stand.

Looking at them here maybe I need to make a few not pink ones, I think my girly side took over.

Have a good weekend and if you have snow, stay safe and warm.

Jaine x

Happy December And Hello Daily Journal 2017

The madness has really started with shops heaving and roads full of traffic. I think this is why I prefer to do alot of my shopping on line to be honest. If I’m off to the shopping centre it’s to look at the pretty lights and get ideas not shop like a headless chicken for something I’ve no idea what.

Anyway that said, the best bits of the season have kicked off and that includes the first page in my daily journal for December which I’m doing in colaboration with Paper Pen and Plan. Day 1 is “One Happy Moment” which was most definitely going out with Cooper in the morning in the first real snow fall of the season. He loves it.

So far I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out using a junk journal for my daily with some of the pages being made out of thinner paper. This might restrict me from using too many wet media like paints and sprays. I’ll have to play it by ear and just see how it goes. If I have to use gesso or glue in extra pages then so be it. That’s just how it goes.

Have a good first weekend of advent everyone and I’ll speak soon.

Jaine x